Chapter 6: Chapter 6: University

“I think that concludes everything Ms. Polemos.”

“Thank you Principal, as I stated, do let me know if you’re doing fundraiser events. I would love to contribute to the education of our generation, and such a prestigious institution as this one will do a tremendous job at giving us the head-start we need to delve into the world.”

I leave the principal's office. Ugh, I really don’t like that guy. Just throw 100.000 USD at his face and he treats me like a golden goose. At Least I got the attention and information I wanted. Everything can be solved with money. One of the reasons I picked this university is due to the autonomy it’s given. If I remember correctly universities in US are often heavily mandated by policies and different jurisdictions, but this one is special. I guess that’s what happens when a single university pumps out innovators, politicians and leaders in a vast variety of fields like it’s a prodigy factory. 

Now then, the first lecture should be, theological history with Professor Ingrid. Oh, the lecture hall is in the building right next to this one, lucky me.

I enter the lecture hall just to have every head in the room turn towards me, great. Let’s see, envy, disbelief, interest, oh of course most guys would be checking me out. I really have to get used to this, not that I really want to. It’s both sad and impressive the amount of attention Athena’s looks, well, our looks, get just by walking into a room. Hopefully people will get used to me, not that I really believe that myself. Guess I’ll grab a seat in the back, and hope that people literally won’t turn their heads to look at me. Wow, egocentric much, Ethenia?

“Okay everyone. Welcome back. I’m glad to see we have almost full attendance after reopening. We were supposed to cover different views and beliefs as to how different religions came to be, but whatever we thought we knew can just be thrown out of the window.”

Professor Ingrid scans the room to see people’s reactions. I’m not sure what she’s expecting. Oh, she’s looking at me, and nodding? I wonder what that was about. Acknowledging me as a new student? Now that I’m looking around there’s a lot of changed in the room. I’m glad Athena’s knowledge and what I read on fantasy races is useful, as I recognize a few of the races in the room. Dragonkin, elves, a few different kinds of beastkin. Still some humans I see.

“So. Whatever you think you know about how religions came to be, forget everything. The HDA has been gathering information since the shift, and we’ve been given what they know so far. Our world, Earth, was cut off from the previous place it occupied, where we are now. We don’t truly know what happened, but as far as we can tell the world was thrust into another dimension, thus severing the connection we had to the creators of this planet, the gods. Yes, they are real. When our planet reconnected during the shift, a lot of religious and historical texts were altered to accommodate this change, thus granting us the knowledge that was previously lost, or taken. The gods we know about are real. They might be different, and their religions might be warped from the original ideology, but we know they are real. Yes Mr. Wellworth?”

“How do we know they are real? Previously a lot of believers thought the gods were real, what is the difference now?”

“Good question. Well for one, some of the changed have spoken to them. This has been verified as the truth by some of the ability users who can detect lies. Now your next question is probably along the lines of ‘how do we know they haven’t been mind controlled, shown an illusion or just believe it themselves to be true?’. Well some of the ability users who can detect lies defy logical reasoning. They can detect factual truth, as if the universe itself tells them what is the truth and what is not. Really nifty ability that I believe we’ll see a lot of in the judicial system. How exactly their abilities work is not public knowledge. But we have confirmed that gods are real.”

Ingrid looks at me as she mentions that last sentence. Her eyes pierce mine like she sees through me. Oh no, please don’t tell me. “Athena, can you see if my assumption is correct, and if it is. Block her powers?”

“Hm? Oh, I see what you mean. I can’t block them, but I can show it something else. That ability is particularly nasty, I’m not even sure if falsifying the information is going to work.”

“Anyways. As of now most of the curriculum regarding historical subjects are going to be on hold. So instead of looking at what we thought has happened, let’s look at what we think will happen going forwards. Now. Since the shift a lot has been happening quite rapidly. The first week we saw a lot of chaos. People using their powers voluntarily for their own greed, a few of the mafia-like organizations in Europe took control of a lot of cities and important structures, and we see that the government over there is still trying to regain control of their countries. Luckily our military and national guard assumed control quite quickly, albeit they were quite ruthless and there were a lot of lost lives. We believe roughly 100.000 people have lost their lives due to direct or indirect conflict since the shift, but we don’t have an exact number. There are also those who lost control over their powers and caused chaos and death, but there shouldn’t have been too many of those. This week is what we now call the assimilation.

The few weeks after a few changed got together and created the Heroes Defence Association, or HDA. They have been working with the government to create a register of Changed, as a lot of people changed their appearances enough to not be recognizable, and have difficulties using their ID. Some even had their gender changed. The HDA is working on registering and helping all of these people, as well as work with the judicial system to accommodate the law so that the changed are considered people. After this initial problem, they realized there’s still a lot more to do, so they started categorizing powers, and ranking them based on importance and/or power levels, as well as helping people to keep their powers under control. Sadly there are people who remain in custody as their powers are simply too strong to be let out into the public, so the HDA is working on getting those people released.

Now  a lot of businesses and sectors are still closed, but a few universities such as this one, and public necessities have opened again since, but we are still under martial law. The reason some universities are open is due to the research they do on the changed. Now then, to theorize, what will happen going forward? You can think about the US only, or the world as a whole.”

A few students raise their hands, and Ingrid points to one of the girls in the middle.

“If we look at the history we knew, we can see that humanity loves conflict and wars. I think a lot of countries are going to try to weaponize changed. I have personally seen a few different ones, some people can manipulate the elements and wreak havoc, but some of the scarier ones are the ones we can’t see. I saw a guy disappear into the shadows, like, literally melding with them. I think we’re going to see organized crime and war on an entirely different scale than what we have. Since powers aren’t something that can be taken away, like weapons, and they are very accessible.”

“Yes, that is a good point. That is also one of the things HDA is combating. As their name implies, there are people trying to use their powers for good. They are per the law vigilantes, but the goal is that the ones associated with HDA can legally use their powers to help law enforcement in controlling and detaining criminals and dangerous individuals.”

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The rest of the class turned into students throwing out increasingly more crazy theories, and the professor commenting on what is probable. She seems really well informed for a history professor.

I had a few other classes in business major, mostly talking about how new markets are going to open up due to the changed. The fashion business is going to have to accommodate people with new limbs, such as wings, tails and animal ears. Hm? Oh that smells delicious, what is that? My mind goes hazy as I follow the smell, I don’t realize where I’m going or what I’m doing. Everything is focused on that smell. It’s addictive, it’s like all my other senses are tuned out, the world is in grey, and I can almost see the scent my nose is following. Or is it my nose? I don’t know anymore.

I cross the building and I find the source of my trance. In front of me is a beautiful girl. Around the height of my vampire form. Long silky snow white hair, with icy blue eyes. Her eyes turn from whatever she’s holding in her hands, and look into mine. My body is moving towards her, my canines slowly extending, and my hair turning more red than my current rose gold. “Ethenia, snap out of it!”

Huh? Where, wait. Oh. That’s new.

“Yes, can I help you?”

Yes you can, let me taste your blood. Obviously I can’t say that. I don’t know what came over me, that was something else. I’ve had feeding urges, but nothing like this. My body moved on it’s own. She’s looking at me with a confused expression, and she has adopted a slightly defensive posture. Yeah, that’s my fault.

“Oh, um. Sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

She raises an eyebrow at me and now that I’m not in some sort of vampiric trance, my features have returned to their normal goddess ones. Oh my, I didn’t notice before but her pupils are shaped like snowflakes, and I can see white particles moving behind them, like falling snow. She’s the first one I’ve seen other than me and Athena with shaped pupils.

“Really now? You thought I was another girl with white hair and animal ears? Considering I have yet to see anyone similar to me, I find that quite hard to believe.”

She gives me a slightly amused and cocky smirk. Wait, animal ears? Oh my goddess, she’s right. She doesn’t have the normal human ears, instead she has a pair of fuzzy triangle shaped ears on top of her head, slightly twitching.

“Cute.”

Shit. Did I just say that out loud? Oh no. That smirk just turned into a full on grin, and oh my is she beautiful. I didn’t think I’d find anyone as beautiful as Athena, boy was I wrong. She’s not the kind of seductive beauty my vampiric form is. She looks regal, majestic. So full of confidence.

“Cute, huh? I guess that explains your lame excuse.”

Oh she’s fun. 

“Anyways, lovely to meet you. I’ll get on my way now. Bye.”

She turns and leaves while I’m still lost in her beauty, replaying what just happened in my head over and over. Since when do I lose myself like this? I don’t think that’s happened before? Is this also due to my vampiric urges? My eyes follow her figure as she’s walking away. The slow sway of her hips, drawing my attention to her lower half. After a few meters she stops, turns her head towards me, gives me a cocky grin full of confidence and winks at me. Then she’s gone around the corner. Shit, did she just catch me checking her out? Wait, did I just check her out? This is going to be trouble.

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